Love & The Emperor (2020)

This drama is a pretty solid drama for me.

The female lead works at a VR gaming company. She is very ordinary and has a crush on her boss. However her boss doesn't like her. She ends up being the first person to try out this game created about falling in love with an emperor. Inside she is an ugly maid . She also chose the setting of most difficult level , therefore she encounters a lot of difficulties happen to her.

I like the female lead and her acting. Her character is cute , likable and quirky. She has one speciality which is cooking. She works her way up from being a maid to a palace chef. She tries to find the button to save her progress during the game, and that's were she ends up meeting the male lead.

The male lead is the emperor. He is a very smart , caring loving guy. The female and male leads encounters are funny and their romance which blossoms is cute and enjoyable. They have really good chemistry. Lol a good number of kissing scenes for you fans out there ;)

The storyline flowed really well and eventually back to the reality. It goes back full circle .

If you like drama genre "reality to game ", then this is the right drama for you.

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Story: I’m not a big fan of time travel or virtual game dramas bc it’s not real like the main couple technically can’t stay together bc they’re from different worlds but I honestly enjoyed this drama more than I thought I would lol.

Story: It’s a simple light hearted drama that revolves around the ML who is the king in the video game and the FL lead who’s the player going into the video game and becomes the kings chef and love interest. The story started off boring in my opinion and I was quite bored but when Fl got promoted to chef, the story picks up and I enjoyed it. I really like how she doesn’t try to fight back her heart and went for the king and neglected the princess. I also enjoyed the second ML and FL, they’re really cute as well. There wasn’t much scheming and I liked that bc there are a lot of dramas that focus on schemes and stuff like that before focusing on the leads love and this drama only focuses on their love which I though was good. I mainly watched for their sweet moments and it was so sweet even the second leads were sweet.

Acting: The ML was a little awkward at times in my opinion especially in serious moments lol I couldn’t take him seriously when he became angry or was suppose to be scary. Other than that, the romantic scenes was great and he be making my heart flutter too. The FL was great in my opinion, especially her crying scenes, she had me heartbroken as well. I also enjoyed how cute she was but not over the top. The second leads acting was good as well especially when you compare them to the modern world characters, they were totally different people lol I couldn’t even recognize that the modern characters were the second leads. The mean boss and the princess did their character well enough, they didn’t make me hate them like some antagonists I’ve seen before and they contributed enough problems to move the plot forward,

Cinematography: This is not a high budget production but with what it got, it was quite nice. The emperors palace was grand especially during celebrations but still decent. The colors of the drama was good too, it wasn’t pastel or dark or light lol. The editing flowed in my opinion but since this was a game, I would’ve liked more game like options for the FL. It just seemed like at the beginning, the game gave her clues but then there wasn’t any clues given which was kind of odd. I also really enjoyed her quotes or dialogues whenever the episodes end, it was actually calming like ASMR,

Overall: I liked this drama although I did give it doubts earlier on, after a few episodes, I would say like 6/7, it really picked itself up. I think the ending was rushed but like almost all Chinese dramas, the endings are always rushed. I Also really liked how the ML loved the FL even when she was a dude which makes it even more sweet that he fell in love with her personality and heart and was willing to have her in any form lol. The thing that kind of upsets me about this drama is that it’s not real and it’s just a video game. In theory, he’s just a video game character and that means she has to be in the video game forever or leave sooner or later. However, I do recommend this drama and I think it’s a decent drama, especially if you have nothing else to watch like I did.

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Devoted Emperor - An Extinct Species

I have really enjoyed this short series despite many viewers claim the story being unoriginal with an expected outcome. This is an Isekai story whereby the female lead is transported to a parallel universe in the ancient times through virtual gaming. The story may not be original for many viewers, but I still find it sweet and relaxing. 

I love the performances of the two main leads Li Xia (Camille Hua) and Emperor Yang Mo (Alan Luo), Though this is my first time watching their drama, I find them authentic and lovable, and the couple has great dynamics together. Apart from their good look, I really enjoy the story of an emperor who truly loves a woman and is devoted to her even when she is of a low social status and not attractive; I like watching the emperor for valuing a person from the inside rather than from the outside. It's nice to imagine that somewhere out there, such characters do exist. Alan Luo has successfully portrayed his longing for Li Xia even when their relationship is prohibited. It is interesting to watch Li Xia managing an historical character with contemporary etiquettes and Camille Hua plays the role beautifully with her beautiful sweet smile.

I also love the side couple here, Jie Qing Shu (Joseph Wen) and Fan Ru Wiang (Li Hai Shan). Both generals, Jie Qing Shu is serious, quiet and calculative but Fan Ru Wiang is totally the opposite of him. Being outspoken, rash and impatient, Fan Ru Wiang always takes the lead towards Jie Qing Shu. Their dynamics are sweet and warm.

I like the narrative at the end of each episode. It reflects the thoughts of the writer, what the journey brings to him/her, and the lessons learned. The narratives are philosophical and provide deeper searches within the viewers' hearts.

The only issue I have is how the story does not even attempt to reconcile the sudden come and go of Li Xia. There is a lot of unanswered questions for the Emperor and the Generals (and people around them) regarding Li Xia, but these are not explained to them convincingly and they simply accept Li Xia as if she is normal like them. I guess, these are just characters from a video game that don't need to make sense of anything.

The low rating here (7.2 at this moment) is not justifiable and should not be taken seriously as it is only rated by very few viewers, hence does not represent the true value of the drama. This is a short and light romance drama that may bring good entertainment value to the viewers. Worth a try.

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The potential could have been fulfilled if this had been a time travel drama instead

I find the story fairly interesting though I also find it more difficult to suspend my disbelief compared to when I watch dramas in a similar genre.

This is not a time travel drama though it is similar to one. The protagonist simply tests out a newly developed VR game. How a bug in the game could cause her to be unable to simply exit the game by simply removing the VR device is possibly one of the first questions we may ask, but we can possibly assume that the technology is so advanced that the human-device connection is something much more complex than we can imagine today.

For a number of episodes, the game premise disappears and it seems no different from a time travel drama. I think this is the best part of the series. Unfortunately, the game premise returns with a vengeance, which makes things a little odd. For selfish interests, the bad guy (or the closest to one), who is the boss of the company creating the game, wants to end the game by letting one of the fictional game characters die. The protagonist (of the series) is against this, but the bad guy actually has a fairly convincing argument: nothing in the game is real, including the characters, so one should have no qualms letting the characters die. The behaviors of the game characters are determined by algorithms. (Yeah, I guess falling in love with one of the game characters is like falling in love with a chat bot.)

The only argument I can imagine using to support the protagonist of the series is that the game characters are sentient and have a mind of their own--perhaps they can even comprehend the idea that they are game characters in a computer program. (It's like if we one day find out the entire world we live in is a sort of simulation. Would our lives not matter then?) It does feel like this in some ways, but the series does not really push his point of view. This issue marred my enjoyment of the series at least a little.

The characterization of the game characters does not always help. I like the two generals in the game, but the emperor and the princess he is supposed to marry are less compelling. The princess is, at first, interesting because she's not the clear-cut villain (of the game) I had guessed she would be. However, her descent into complete villainy isn't convincing. Because of the portrayal of the game characters, I end up being reminded that they really are just game characters, as the boss of the game company says.

I suspect that the story would have been much better if it had simply been a time travel drama, so perhaps we have yet another potentially excellent series compromised by the need to comply with censorship laws.

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A sweet story about finding out what it means to be loved and to have happiness

Despite its low budget production, this drama shines with its core themes on what it means to be loved and to love another. It's a shame that the official YouTube channel didn't give it official English subtitles as there are some really heartfelt scenes and good performance from a couple actors, especially Camille Hua, and deserve a bit more love. It is not a high-strung drama with tons of plot twists and angst but more low-key and contemplative. It maintains its status as a romantic comedy in a faux historical setting while still pushing out some real life questions about the self and love. At the end of each episode, Li Xia has a voiceover of questions that connects back to the episode, which at first was off-putting but also becomes more interesting.

STORY: Li Xia is a kindhearted and sweet worker for a gaming company who has a crush on her boss Xiao Ning. She is the type of girl who likes to show her affections through food and care, so she's always taking care of the boss and the crew. When the company runs an initial test of their virtual otome game, Li Xia is chosen to do so, which excites Li Xia as she thinks that this is recognition and special attention from Xiao Ning--until she accidentally overhears him calling her an "ordinary girl" who is in the same expected audience range for their game. Essentially, he says that she is so ordinary, how could she be the girlfriend of a boss like him? He is insincere, essentially, toward her. Heartbroken and crushed, Li Xia still becomes the first test subject of the game and, in a moment of low self-esteem, chooses the hardest setting in the game and begins as an ugly maid. When she tries to get out, however, she soon finds out that bugs in the game have prevented her from getting out. As she tries to find the exit menu, she also meets an eunuch--who is actually the Emperor in disguise--and thus begins a sweet love story with him.

ACTING/CHARACTERS: for this kind of low-budget level drama, the acting is good enough. This is not a complicated drama that requires high level acting of complex emotions, so I just enjoyed what I was seeing. I especially came to love Camille Hua as I really appreciate her character's personality but also Camille herself. I really love how she has a different look from typical Chinese actresses. Whereas they have small faces, Camille has a full, round face and has a very adorable smile. She was the best actor on this production.
Sadly, I didn't feel the same kind of level with the main actor who played the Emperor Yang Mo. Maybe I just don't prefer his looks, but at times, he seemed stiff and wooden, thus lowering the level of chemistry he has with Camille and my investment in him. He does shine at different times, but I'd say it took me a while to get used to him. It might also have a small part to do with his character's personality, which is that he's supposed to be a bit of a suspicious and cold character--even toward his own brother--but he eventually warms up. His relationship with Li Xia is just so sweet. Although he is an Emperor, he is rarely overbearing toward her. At times, he'll do the mischievous thing of pulling the status card--"I'm the Emperor. What is the punishment for lying to me?"--but this is all in good fun. Their bonding over food, too, just makes my heart soar and is so satisfying to see. Because with Xiao Ning, she felt more like a maid making food for a master, but with Yang Mo, she is making food for someone who appreciates her, her food, and care--someone who reciprocates.
For the two generals, Fan Ru Xiang & Xie Qing Shu, I thought they were also good enough. I liked their modern and historical looks and enjoyed their dynamic. Fan Ru Xiang's friendship with Li Xia was also a positive thing about the show.

SOUNDTRACK: music is really important to me in a drama and although this drama had one or two good songs especially during the emotional scenes, about halfway through the drama, I started to notice this one specific instrumental melody that they used during contemplative moments. It bothered me that they seemed to play it 20 times in an episode, but had to just shrug it off. Low-budget dramas, you know?

OVERALL: Feeling disillusioned at first about love after Xiao Ning, Li Xia learns to love again and what it feels like to be loved. I recommend watching this if you're looking for something funny and sweet. The story is straightforward with a few twists and the ending is happy for our main characters. I don't think you'll get super emotionally invested in the story, but I think you'll still appreciate the sweetness of the characters and their relationships.

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Frustrating

I have no problem with plot. The biggest issue for me if the Fl. She isnt fit for the role. She maybe acceptable in a teenie bopper kinda drama. Never matured at all despite all the setbacks and experiences. Even the way she speaks is really annoying. If a more fitting actress was playing the role of the FL it would garner a higher score.

2nd couple makes me wonder why the female would cut her hair and pretend to be a male earlier on. After she got with the guy she likes she hasn’t returned to her “real” self in terms of actions and voice. She still keeps the “manly” attitude and behavior.

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It was fun

OK the story fun to watch one were you don't have to think seriously think about the Plot is very simply where the MC goes back in time via VR game.
However you can also resonate with the MC who feels ugly unwanted, unloved and how she grows as a character due to the people around her. Best way to describe it is a chick flic that you want to binge on when RL is just to much at the moment and you want a light movie to forget things just for a moment.

The actors had done a great job bringing the characters to life while the writers had managed to pull the story together and not making it to messy.

And like rom-com you need the bad self centred moron. Which the story has and again he played his roll so well but at the end he got his just reward, and for once the rich good looking boss is not the MC but well done

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A different and yet enjoyable take on Magical Realism

The way the story is written is the perfect definition of having a different take on magical realism. The story is well written and enjoyable, it was only the ending that fell quite short for me... It would have been better if the conclusion is somewhat clearer than what was shown. The distinction or line between the virtual world and reality, while quite clear in the beginning, became very much muddy in the end. The "magical" realism aspect could've been more developed. The actors did justice to their roles, and that's why I wish the writers could've made the ending better. It would've also been better if the female lead's "reality" was given a proper explanation- a what happens after entering the VR kind of explanation. But still, this drama was light, fun, and entertaining to watch.

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Very entertaining,... should be made a longer drama

Well... this was a nice surprise.
Yes, it is a low budget production. Actors were wearing the SAME CLOTHES for every single episode.
Even the king! wearing the same robe, over and over again....
No big special effects or anything like that...

Story was simple.... FL enters into virtual reality game as a beta tester, and gets "stuck" in the game.
Simply.. she can not find the "exit" button., so she has to continue in the game until it ends.
In the meantime, she falls in love with the emperor.... and the character of the emperor falls in love with her.
And as usual.... FL was typically childish, bubbly... etc etc...

ML is not the typical Emperor type. I found him a bit goofy, soft... even though he tried to look tough...
acting was OK...

2ML & 2FL were funny, much better acting.... richer story... I like them more..

SPOILER HERE!
There was a point being made about the insanity of FL... she did not want to quit the game because she was in love of the emperor and did not want to leave him alone... (??)... while the villain tried to reason with her that it was a character in the game... she did not accept that.
Which is weird and unrealistic.... but ey... anything is possible in the land of short C-dramas.

having said all this.... I was glued to the screen until it finished, wondering how would they fix the problems, and what would happen after FL goes back to reality... that's why I rated it very high.

the end left me with more questions than anything... it was supposed to be a happy ending.. seriously? with a character in the game & real girl? How can that be?

again... anything is possible in the land of short C-dramas.

still.... I would love to see this story in a long length drama :)

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She Stoops To Conquer

A smart game developer is being used and manipulated like a test dummy by the CEO she works for.

She enters a VR game world, where she is cast as "the ugly maid" just because of a scar on her face. Chinese dramas are obsessed with facial scars for some reason. Acne, facial scars, even freckles on occasion, are signs of weakness for some reason, and decrease your worth as an individual.

Anyway, our FL has to start from the bottom and kick her way up from there, probably the same way she had to get promoted at the game company she works at in the real world. She gets kicked around both in the real world, as well as the VR world, but this girl isn't going to let anything keep her down. She is kind to everyone that will recieve her kindness, and though she might have moments of self-pity, she doesn't act like the usual C-drama victim FL. I liked her as a character a lot, and I liked the SML, who was part of another cute couple. It's been a couple years since I saw this drama, but I don't remember a lot about the ML, except he had great chemistry with the FL when they had their picnic heart-to-heart evening talks, and that was really sweet to see.

Overall, I found this drama to be surprisingly pleasant, and the best VR time travel costume drama of all of them. Simple story, sincere characters that weren't annoying (at least the FL wasn't).

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